seem to me well worth while to
carry out the idea proposed by Dr. Deming last year which he called the
Roll Call of Nut Varieties. The older sorts have now been planted
sufficiently widely by members of the association to make it possible to
get some adequate idea of their suitability for growing in various
localities. Those who have the interest of the association at heart
should do all they can to obtain and grow any new varieties that offer
any promise of being adapted to their locality. It is only by carrying
out such a program that we shall have any real basis for making
recommendations as to varieties adapted to different regions.

I must confess that I am still skeptical about a commercial nut industry
in New York on the basis of our present varieties. After more than 20
years of variety testing in Ithaca only the Thomas black walnut has
shown any real merit. All the other sorts that were propagated and
recommended have shown themselves to be quite unsuitable to the climate.
A grower setting out a commercial orchard 20 years ago on the basis of
our knowledge of varieties at that time would now have practically
nothing to show, except as he happened to have the Thomas black walnut,
or possibly some of the hickories of northern origin. At the present
time the number of promising varieties known has been greatly increased.
They are, however, not available in the trade, nor will they be until
they have been adequately tested to establish their merit. Fortunately
some of the nurserymen growing nut trees are willing to run test
orchards as well. They are few in number and of course their work must
be augmented by the work of others in the association. What we need more
than anything else are test orchards in different localities in which
the relative yield of the different varieties over a period of years
will be kept. On the basis of such data recommendations as to varieties
to plant can be made with some degree of assurance that the information
given is sound.

MR. C. A. REED:

Prof. MacDaniels may have told you of a number of promising varieties
which he personally has been responsible for bringing to light during
the last year. If he didn't I hope that he will tell as a matter of
record how he came to get them and just what they are.

PROF. MACDANIELS:

Prof. O. F. Curtis of Cornell University and I made a pilgrimage of
about a thousand miles back to the stamping ground of our youth with the
avowed purpose of